HANOVER, N.H. – The University of Pennsylvania baseball program completed a three-game sweep over Dartmouth this weekend with a pair of double-digit victories in both games of today's doubleheader.
The Quakers took advantage of strong outings by their two starting pitchers today, piling on runs in the middle and late innings while the Big Green struggled to get on the board. With the sweep, Penn moved to 17-8 on the season and are now 6-3 in Ivy League play, tied with Columbia and Harvard for first.
GAME 1: PENN 13, DARTMOUTH 1
WP: Mitchell Holcomb (5-0)
LP: Justin Murray (1-2)
GAME 2: PENN 15, DARTMOUTH 3
WP: Christian Scafidi (3-1)
LP: Alec Vaules (1-1)
NOTES
*Penn has scored six or more runs in a single inning 12 times this season. The Quakers have reached double digits in scoring 12 times this season and have tallied 10+ hits 20 times.
*Over the three-game series, Penn scored 49 runs on 65 hits.
*The Quakers swept their first Ivy League series since the League's schedule reformat after the end of the 2017 season.
*Holcomb pitched his first-career complete game in the first game of today's doubleheader. The junior hurler allowed just one run on three hits with five strikeouts.
*Every player in Penn's starting nine tallied an RBI in game one of today's doubleheader.
*Over today's two games,
Peter Matt and
Matt O'Neill both went 7-for-11, knocking four hits each in game one and three each in game two. The pair each drove in three RBI and scored five runs on the day.
*Matt tripled twice in the second game of today's doubleheader. This weekend against Dartmouth, Matt tripled three times and has now done it five times this season.
*Scafidi tossed a career-high eight shutout innings. The junior allowed four hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.
*
Sean Phelan extended his reached-base streak to 23 games after an RBI single in the first inning of game one.
*
Craig Larsen knocked his sixth home run of the season in game one. He went 3-for-4 and was a triple shy of his second cycle in consecutive games.
*
Josh Hood knocked his fifth and sixth home runs of the season in games two and three. He is the second Penn player and second Penn freshman to homer in three consecutive games, with Larsen being the other to do so. Both of Hood's home runs today were two-run shots, while his bomb on Saturday plated three.
*Hood lead the Quakers with four RBI in game two. He and Larsen each tallied 10 RBI in Penn's series with Dartmouth.
HOW IT HAPPENED: GAME 1
The Quakers got on the board first. O'Neill hit a one-out double to center and was driven in after an RBI single by Phelan. Larsen continued the scoring for Penn in the fourth after leading off with a home run to put Penn ahead, 2-0.
The Red and Blue kept the scoring going in the fifth. Matt led off with a single, then stole second. A Phelan single to center put runners on the corners, then Larsen plated Matt with an RBI single up the left side.
Dartmouth struck back in the bottom of the fifth. With runners on the corner and two outs, a Big Green batter hit a hard grounder to Hood. The shortstop fielded the ball but his throw to second was beat by the runner, allowing the runner on third to score to make it 3-1.
After a scoreless sixth by both sides, Penn blew it open in the seventh. Larsen again got it going for Penn. Matt and O'Neill both reached on singles, then the freshman cleanup hitter drove them both in with a double to left center putting Penn up, 5-1.
Adams kept the inning going with an RBI single to center, allowing Larsen to score. Hood capped off the inning with a two-run bomb to left, giving Penn an 8-1 lead.
The Quakers added on to their lead in the ninth with two bases-loaded walks and a bases-loaded HBP to increase Penn's lead to ten. Matt plated the fourth runner of the inning with an RBI single up the left side, then O'Neill made it five with another RBI single up the right side to put Penn up, 13-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED: GAME 2
Once again, Penn got on the board first. Matt lead off the game with a triple to left center and scored after an O'Neill double. The senior advanced to third after a Phelan single then scored on a sac fly by Larsen to give Penn a two-run advantage.
The Quakers continued the scoring in the third inning. O'Neill again got things going with a triple. Hood hit a two-out single to the shortstop, beating out the throw to count O'Neill's run on the board and give Penn a 3-0 lead.
After a third-consecutive scoreless inning for the Big Green, Penn continued to add to its lead. Hernandez led off the fourth with a double. He advanced to third after a grounder to the shortstop and scored as Courtney squeezed a single up the right side.
Penn tallied on two additional runs in the fifth. After Phelan reached on a single, Hood hit his third bomb of the series and third homer in consecutive games to give Penn a 6-0 lead.
Two scoreless innings followed before the Quakers blew it open with their fourth inning with eight or more runs of the season. Adams led off the inning with a single, followed by a Hernandez single on the following at-bat. McGeagh stepped up next with an RBI single to center, plating Adams.
Matt tripled for the second time in the series and fifth time of the year, clearing the bases and putting Penn up 9-0. O'Neill singled to center to drive in Matt, giving Penn 10 runs on the day.
Two-consecutive walks loaded the bases after O'Neill's RBI single, then a sac fly by Hood made it 11-0. Adams doubled down the left field line to bring in Phelan, then a Hernandez single plated Larsen. Adams then scored on a wild pitch to put Penn up 14-0 to finish the eighth.
The Quakers added on one more run in the ninth on a sac fly to take a 15-run lead. Dartmouth scored three in the bottom of the frame, but the chance of a comeback was too far out of reach.
WHAT'S NEXT
Penn looks ahead as the Quakers host Monmouth for a non-conference matchup this Wednesday at 3 p.m.
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